Key facts of Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme

SHC is centrally-sponsored nationwide scheme which aims to help farmers to improve the productivity of farms by providing them basic information for use of nutrients or fertilizers.

The card carries crop-wise recommendation of fertilisers that are required for farm lands. It also helps farmers identify health of soil and judiciously use soil nutrients.

Under this scheme Centre plans to target over 14 crore farmers in the next three years. In financial year 2014-15, around 3 crore farmers will be covered to check the excess use of fertilisers.

Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme was announced by NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in its first budget presented in July 2014.

In the budget, government had allotted Rs. 100 crore for issuing cards under the scheme. Government also had allotted additional Rs. 56 crore to set up 100 mobile soil testing laboratories across India.

India and United States (US) have signed three Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) on smart cities.

These MoUs were signed by the representatives of United States Trade and Development Agency (USTAD) and the respective Chief Secretaries of State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh in the presence of Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.

These MoU’s seeks to give a boost to Union governments flagship smart cities scheme, by building smart cities in

Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Ajmer in Rajasthan.

Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.

US will help each respective state to conduct feasibility studies, finding investors, ways to use the best technology and formulating the plan for building three smart cities.

While, respective state Governments will provide resources like technical information and data related to smart cities planning; staff, logistical and travel support and budgetary resources.

Rajasthan Government has started distribution of the ‘Bhamashah’ cards among women belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) category in Ajmer. The cards were distributed under the Bhamashah scheme which was relaunched in August 2014.

This scheme aims to financially empower BPL women by providing them with monetary benefits of various government schemes, as money will be transferred directly to their bank accounts.

Key facts of Bhamashah scheme

This scheme will provide woman head of the family with a bank account. Monetary benefits from various schemes will be channelized in this account.

Beneficiaries will be provided with a card under this scheme. This card will also be used as an identity card for the people of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan government aims to open around 1.5 crore bank accounts under this scheme.

Earlier Bhamashah scheme

Previously it was launched in 2008, by Vasundhara Raje Government.

Under this scheme 8000 cards were issued and 29.07 lakh bank accounts were opened. Government also had deposited 160 crore rupees in the banks for its implementation.

However, in 2009, it was discontinued by then Ashok Gehlot government.